There are a variety of different types of toggle latches presently on the market and some designs recognize the need for a safety catch to prevent accidental opening of the latch. This feature is particularly useful in heavy duty areas such as where the latch is used to retain large containers and when containers are roughly handled.
A common way to maintain the latch in the closed position so that the conventional lever is not accidentally displaced causing the latch to open is to use a wire to attach the opening lever of the toggle assembly to the fixed portion and maintain a positive locked condition. When the lock is to be opened, the wire must be unwound or cut. Unwinding of the wire can be a time consuming procedure both in opening and refastening of the latch. Similarly, if the latch is to be refastened, the cut wire can naturally not be reattached and a new wire has to be used if one is available.
Accordingly, there is a need for a quick and efficient safety catch for a toggle latch which can be used repeatedly and which is inexpensive to manufacture and can be assembled to existing toggle latches or can be built into newly formed latches. Ease of operation and cost are important factors, particularly when dealing with a mass produced inexpensive item such as a toggle latch. Examples of several types of toggle latches are in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,090,634 and 3,127,205. An example of a toggle latch with a safety catch is present in U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,298, and from that reference, it is clear that the need for a toggle type of latch is desirable and necessary. Accordingly, improvements in this area would be extremely valuable and desirable in the field of manufacturing and use of toggle type latches. An example of a recent development in this respect is present in a commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 832,153 filed Sept. 12, 1977.